Ethan Ketra Chronicles
by Lio76
Summary: The Underworld parts are AU. A lycan soldier partnered with Barricade decides to defect to NEST. The soldier's past will come to haunt him as he fights for NEST against his former brethren. Transformers, underworld and District 9
1. Prologue

Nobody remembers how the war started, but its end was far from the sight of anyone fighting it. The vampires and the Lycans were fighting for centuries now. Lucian lead his forces on a brutal campaign against the covens. As time went on, the lycans were pushed back even further. They were losing the war. Nobody bothered denying it. After a series of losses, the Lycans became allied with an alien race that was known as the Decepticons. The lycans were a species very similar to the Decepticons. Both races existed in one of two forms. The Decepticons needed a force of individuals who could fight against the Human soldiers of the Networked Elements: Supporters and Transformers organization, leaving the Decepticons free to focus on their sworn enemies, the Autobots and not be bothered by these human pests. The lycans agreed to this and soon were close to gaining, as Lucian phrases it "our rightful place above the nocturnal oppressors." The few vampires that remained of the Old World coven knew a relative peace, until their manor house was attacked. The lycans had something new. They had military equipment and training. After several lycans were killed, Megatron destroyed a good portion of the manor house. Only Michael Corvin and Selene managed to escape. By the time the Autobots arrived, Michael and Selene were pinned down by Ravage. The were rescued by John Ledra, a soldier with NEST and a unique hybrid whose altered form consisted of an anthropomorphic wolf with bat-like talon tipped wings and a 3 foot long tail. He took out ravage with his taloned wings and ripped off his head. He took Selene and Michael to the airbase where they became soldiers for NEST. The secret war was not unknown to Wolfen Aerospace Industries. As a top supplier to the militaries of Israel and allied nations, they were in the loop about any government operations since the war against MNU 3 years ago. They provided military equipment to NEST that was based on Poleepkwa technology. The rifles Wolfen made had a record-shatering fire velocity and rate of fire. The mech used in the War against MNU was only a prototype still. The engineering department kept adding, removing or altering features of the original Fafnir assault mech. If this kept up, it would never reach circulation. Perhaps that was for the best. Who knows when the fighting will end? One lycan had to find an answer. He had to end it. His curse was too much to bear. And fighting for Lucian was starting to seem wrong.

Author's note: MNU war will be covered in an earlier story


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Scars of War

* * *

Each faction had its own individual who was the best of the best. Among the Lycans, that individual was a soldier named Ethan Ketra. He was slightly muscular, 5' 11" and had silver hair that reached the base of his neck. He had a scar going from his forehead along the left side of his nose and eventually reached his neck. It was from when he was turned. Lucian gave it to him as a mark to identify him if he had to be recruited. Physically, he was only nineteen, but he is over 450 years old chronologically. He sat on the bench of his garage with his Decepticon partner, Barricade. His nights in the garage were often spent with Barricade in an awkward silence. Usually driven by Ethan's distrust of machines due to Starscreams treacherous nature and their history together. 6 months ago, Starscream ordered Devastator to destroy his hometown of Nome in Alaska. This time the silence was caused by his unusual sense of guilt for what he did during the last mission. He had never watched an Autobot long enough to see their spark extinguish after he strikes them down. This time, he was unfortunate enough to watch. Her name was Arcee. She was the size of a full grown human and was no challenge for the young lycan. He remembered her dying words. "You don't have to do this". But he was following orders when he drove his knife deep into her spark chamber. He stood transfixed as the shots rang out, staring at her spark as it began to fade. Once the light had died, Arcee was gone. Lucien dragged him back to base after the Lycans and Decepticons had taken the city. That was over 3 hours ago, but it still burned in Ketra's mind. Now, Barricade tried to break the silence.

"You know I can't comment on what you saw, but what you witnessed is a Decepticons reason to live." The mustang said. _A Decepticons reason to live? I'm nothing like them_. Ketra thought. "It changes you to watch a spark extinguish." _It changes you? It definitely changed me._

"Throughout my service, I've always regretted killing for anything but food. But watching an individual's life force leave them was what filled me with guilt." Ketra was furious by this time and stormed out of the garage to head to the Tactical Combat Training, or TCT, room. He did this after each mission to hone his skills. Lucien had always told him he had to be "faster, stronger, and more accurate." This time, he needed to blow off some steam. On his way, he passed Raze, who greeted Ketra with compliments for his first recorded Autobot kill.

"Heard how you iced Arcee. I should've been there." He said.

"If you were there, it would have been easier. You need to be where we want you when we want you." Ketra snarled. Raze backed off slowly then ran, his trench coat flowing in the draft. _Why do I even bother?_ The base wasn't very large, but the Lycans certainly benefitted from the Cybertronian technology. The airborne Decepticons had a specialized runway above ground, but Starscream was the only one who ever used it. Starscream, Grindor, and Megatron were the only ones who could fly, so the runway was almost perfectly useless. Ever since its acquisition, Ketra had gotten lost in this base three times. _My first Autobot kill. I can't take it anymore. I have to get out of here. I wonder if NEST_ _would take me in_. Ketra thought about leaving for at least a week now, but he knew Lucian and Megatron would stop at nothing to get him back. After 15 minutes of wandering through the base, he made it to the TCT room. He took out two Heckler & Koch MP7s and folded in the stocks. For training, he used a cartridge loaded with cells that fire off transphasic energy that damages the solid-matter holograms. The cells fire off their charge, and are discarded by the weapons like normal bullet casings. As accurate as he was with his SMGs, no lycan was permitted to use UV rounds outside of combat with the vampires. Ketra knew why. The materials for producing these rounds were extremely rare on earth and only the Decepticons knew how to synthesize them. The success rate is limited as the Constructicons were semi-retired. Enemy holograms appeared at random spots in the room. Speed was Ethan's most prominent weapon. He was the only lycan fast enough to run across walls in human form. This is what he would do first. He leapt and the wall and ran along its surface. He opened fire at the enemy holos and destroyed them. Two enemy holos approached from behind. Ethan quickly turned and opened fire. Both holos were destroyed. These were the last of the enemies he would fight. Ketra had to be ready at all times. He had specialized combat armor like the rest of Lucian's elite soldiers. His armor was equipped with Cybertronian offensive technologies. He needed to work on it to make sure it still did its job. The Autobots haven't made a move in weeks, but he was better safe than sorry. He never knew when the Autobots would try to reclaim the city. His armor consisted of a Flak Jacket with internal Kevlar plating and a special bullet-proof fabric composed of threads of carbon nano-tubes. The back had Barricade's police emblem and the Decepticon symbol was embroidered on the right side of the chest. The shoulder pads covered his upper arms and snapped to his flak jacket. The true marvels of technology were the boots and forearm guards. The boots were made of pure steel and housed retracting wheels and jump thrusters. The forearm guards housed retracting blades made of the same material at the heart of each UV round. This ensured instant vampire kills. Each piece had to be attached one at a time. After his armor was put on, He went back to the garage to see Barricade looking through his bookshelf. He noticed that Ketra had a large collection of werewolf literature. Some of the mythology in his possession came from over 150 years ago.

"DON'T TOUCH THOSE!!!!!!!!!" Ketra yelled. Barricade stopped what he was doing and Ethan's copy of Frostbite by David Wellington fell out. "I'm sorry." Barricade said sincerely.

"It's okay. I just lost my head." Ethan picked up his book and put it back in the shelf.

"You've got some pretty old stuff here. Is there a reason for all this?" asked the huge Decepticon.

"Back then, I wanted to know what had attacked me. I became scared when I read that I would become like them, but I've come to accept this 'curse'" said Ketra.

Out of nowhere, the incursion alarm sounded once again. Barricade quickly transformed into his Saleen Mustang altmode. He opened his driver door and Ketra jumped in. "The Autobots are making a move to take back the 8th district. Megatron and Starscream are moving in quickly and Grindor just got out of the hangar." After this mini briefing, Barricade drove right out. Ketra took control and proceeded to the 8th district. They had only sent three Autobots. Ketra identified them as Bumblebee, Ironhide, and Ratchet. Ketra leapt out of Barricade before the Saleen fully transformed. Megatron descended quickly and tried to drive his sword through Ironhides head, but the Autobot moved in time to avoid impalement and fired off a few rounds from his pulse cannon. Megatron dodged and came at full force, but Lennox fired of a concussion grenade from his launcher, sending Megatron to the ground. Lucien leapt into combat with Starscream and went after Lennox. Lucien was knocked down by a soldier with Poleepkwa plating covering his chest, back, arms, and lower legs. The half-breed clocked Lucien in the face. Lucien got back up and threw the alien half-breed into one of the buildings.

"Better luck next time, Fairway." He said. Fairway, the half-breed, entered his wolf form. His legs became digigrade and fur covered all that the plates did not. His head became that of a wolf and he leapt out into battle after Lucien. Fairway's wrist-blades extended and Lucien's sword was deployed. They engaged in a sword battle that went on until Lucien collapsed from fatigue. Ketra quickly engaged Fairway, but the Lycan found himself losing to the half-breed. Before long, he fell. This was the first time he was ever beaten in combat. The ensuing chaos was what Starscream needed to get away. As he flew off, Breakaway flew with the moon to his back. His pilot, a hybrid soldier, leapt out and used his bladed wigs to attach to Starscreams underbelly.

"Get off me, hybrid filth." Starscream shouted. Before the F-22 transformed, the unnamed soldier took a grenade off of his vest and threw it into Starscreams intake. He leapt off and flew toward Breakaway and got in. As Starscream began to transform, the grenade exploded and disabled his engines. Starscream couldn't hover, so he fell quickly to the ground. Barricade looked on the carnage. Nothing was right. He leapt after Ratchet flailing his weapon. Ratchet shot round after round from his machine gun, but nothing would stop the 20-odd tons of confused Decepticon that was running towards him. Bumblebee dashed quickly and knocked Barricade to the ground, toppling a radio tower in the process. Ratchet got back up.

"Thanks, Bee." He said. Ironhide was locked in combat with Grindor. The MH-53 transformed and bombarded the area. Breakaway and his Hybrid partner went after Grindor. Breakaway turned to his side and sped on at full afterburner. His wings cut through the rotors as they turned. Grindor transformed and fell to the ground. Before Lucien could be subdued, he escaped with Starscream back to the Decepticon HQ. All other forces were brought back to the HQ. In his garage, Ketra stood with Barricade as a broken man.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Haven among the enemy

* * *

The Autobots and NEST were getting bolder. Nobody could deny this. The Lycans defeat at the 8th district in Mission City was proof of this. Lucian's top lieutenants and Megatron held a strategy meeting in the late night to determine the cause of the defeat. Ketra stood by the door, listening closely. His ears were those of a wolf as he listened. Megatron was the first to speak. "You have failed, Lucian. We allied with you to get even, but the Autobots have fought back stronger. My best soldiers are in repair bay."

Lucian quickly snapped back, "If your soldiers were prepared, they would still be fully operational."

"Speaking of operational, Barricade suffered from combat rage. If unchecked, it could destroy his core processor." Raze added. Megatron sneered to himself.

"We'll have to melt him down for parts." Lucian stared up at Megatron.

"Ketra has also lost his edge. Any suggestions?" Megatron laughed. "that sword of yours is pure sterling silver. You should figure it out." Ketra was horrified. He ran back to his room and tried to pack all he could into a duffel bag. His armor, his MP7s and some grenades were all packed. He put on his Jeans, his Timeless Miracle t-shirt, and his trenchcoat, which still had the police badge the mimicked Barricades police emblem. Barricade didn't know what was going on, but he knew Ketra had to get out.

"What's the Hurry?" Barricade asked.

"They want to kill me because I lost in combat to a half-breed. The think you have Combat Rage and want to melt you down." Barricade transformed without saying a word. Ketra loaded his bag and got in. They drove off trying to make sense of it all. Hours of thought were useless. Barricade just put the Howard Stern show on his radio. The new guy, Wikus the Prawn, was arguing with Howard and Robyn about the random damages and destroyed buildings in Shanghai, Johannesburg, and Mission City. He knows that something was going down and that he was familiar with being left in the dark by governments and corporations. Ketra shut it off and continued in silence. One question lingered in his mind. "What happened out there? You never rush like that."

"I was confused. I didn't think I was doing the right thing. I've realized that your kind and ours are similar and that if we protect you, maybe organics aren't so bad. I think a logical paradox occurred. I just want to know where we're going."

"I need to get to Nome. It's probably the only place Lucian won't look for us."

"A viroid was uploaded into NEST's communication systems. I'm scanning for any Operations in Nome." After seconds, Barricade had the results. "NEST is sending Ratchet and some human female to Nome to see if the reported escaped Poleepkwa survived Devastators attack."

"Any info on this human?" Ketra asked.

"She must be new, she doesn't have a file." Barricade replied.

"Why a sudden interest in the Poleepkwa?"

"The files don't say anything. Wolfen might be looking for them just to make sure they're okay. Poleepkwa are a lot tougher than humans." By the time the conversation had ended, they arrived at the terminal. Ketra got out and Barricade shut the door.

"Look for a cargo plane with either Autobot or NEST symbols. I'll see if I can find this human and convince her to take us along." Barricade searched the tarmac and finally entered the plane. Ketra ran through the airport terminal looking for this female. He had Ratchets scent, so he just had to find a human with that scent coming from them. He knew she had gone through security already and got through as well. Just before the exit to the Tarmac is where he saw her. She looked about 18. Her eyes were a shade of emerald green and her hair was silver and only went down to her shoulders. Her jacket and was yellow and had Ratchets Search and Rescue emblem on the back and the sleeves had red stripes that looked like the heart rate pattern. Her pants were yellow and had straight red stripes going down. Ketra quickly approached her and tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped and turned around.

"Who are you?" she asked upon catching her breath. She spoke with a moderate Romanian accent.

"It's awfully late to be flying. What's the rush?" Ketra asked, sounding as concerned as he could.

"I'm working with Wolfen Aerospace Industries. Do you know about them?" She seemed to have a good cover story. Ketra would have to be careful.

"I know their efforts shut down MNU and fully integrated the Poleepkwa into our society."

"I'm going into Nome. It was destroyed by a rogue F-22 pilot. Some of the Poleepkwa that escaped from District 9 lived there."

"By the looks of that jacket, you're going to try to save them. You need to be careful. Only the hospital, church, and a few houses still stand. Any human survivors will take you down for the medicine you have."

"This coming from a Cop."

"I've been there before. You need an escort." Ketra insisted.

"Are you armed?" she asked. He pulled open his trenchcoat, revealing one of his MP7s and six grenades.

"To the teeth." Ketra responded.

"Nice piece. Is that a Barreta?"

"Heckler & Koch MP7. I always preferred them for the rate and the light weight." Ketra answered.

"You must have put your car in my plane already. I guess you're right, though. Follow me." The girl walked out onto the tarmac. Most of the light came from the full moon. Ketra knew how to fight the change. It was easy for him.

"What's your name, by the way?" She asked "Ethan Ketra."

"My name's Alira Fairway." The rest of the walk was completed in silence. As they rounded the corner to the plane, Alira saw Ketra's ride. She froze up upon seeing it. It had to be a coincidence, though, as Barricade was clearly not here given the lack of an energon radiation signature. Either that or the lycans found a way to mask such things from Autobot scanners. She stood there breathing heavily until Ketra snapped her back to reality.

"You coming or not?"

"Yeah." She walked inside the plane following Ketra closely. Ketra noticed Ratchet in his altmode.

"I take it you only carry Poleepkwa medicines." Ketra said. "I carry some human medicines, but not nearly enough for 297 human survivors." Alira said with a degree of sadness. The pilot of the cargo plane quickly came out to make sure everyone was present. Ketra recognized him immediately. He was dressed in full body armor with IDF and IAF patches. He had short silver hair and yellow eyes. He was about 5'11 and had a lean build. This was the hybrid that threw the grenade into Starscreams intake.

"Who's this guy? I thought you were supposed to come alone." said the pilot rater sternly.

"He's a cop from Nome. He's my armed escort." Alira said. The pilot stood in awe but snapped back to reality. "My name's John Ledra."

"Ethan Ketra. I've already acquainted myself with Ms. Fairway." He nodded toward Alira. Alira smiled widely.

"Settle in somewher and get ready for takeoff."

With that, John got to the cockpit and sent the plane into the stratosphere. The flight was long and uneventful. Alira would often try to get the Howard Stern show on Barricades radio, and get Ethan to help her out. After 2 hours, the plane landed at the Nome municipal airfield. John got inside of Ratchet with Alira riding shotgun. Ketra and Barricade rolled out onto the tarmac and left to save the Poleepkwa. Their sirens blared, piercing the moonlit sky with their sound. The area was not radioactive, but it was freezing cold. Ketra was determined now to save the Poleepkwa. They were cold-blooded. They wouldn't last long.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Nome After Dark.

* * *

The cop car and ambulance created quite a scene. Ten human survivors clad in armor made of garbage and scrap metal came shambling out. At the head of the group, trying to stop their advance, was a Wolfen Aerospace Fafnir assault mech, a modified version of the Poleepkwa powersuit designed with a lupine appearance meant to instill fear in the enemy. It stood just under 12 feet tall. The "convoy" came to a stop and exited their vehicles. The mech stood back, ready to kill the survivors in case anything got out of hand. Ketra took out his MP7 and had it ready. One of the survivors came forward.

"You have to help me. I was attacked by some crazy animal. I don't feel very good." Alira looked shocked. The survivor was clutching the bite wound.

"Let me see the wound." Alira ordered. The survivor removed his garbage armor and Alira could see the wound. It was consistent with a lycans bite. "Do you have any unusual feelings?"

"It feels like something's… growing inside me. Like there's something ready to tear through my flesh." Said the survivor. He was obviously in pain.

"There's nothing I can do for you. I'm sorry." Alira said. The survivor had a heavy pain shoot through him.

"What's happening to me!!!?" he shouted. The other survivors had the same experience. They were turning. Their armor was strained against their bodies and snapped off. Faces stretched out into muzzles. Fur covered their bodies, leg structure changed and sanity was stripped away. Ketra was in the worst place to be. He fired as many shots at them as he could. He downed three. Ledra ran in head on, his talon-tipped wings out and ready. He took out 6 of them by slicing and stabbing with his wings. Just as the last lycan was about to bite Alira, Ketra turned and knocked the last one to the ground. In the wrestling match that followed, Ketra, still clad in his clothes, shoved his opponent into the air, where he exploded after a solid hit from the mechs Arc Gun. Ketra quickly shifted back to his human form. Nobody saw him in his wolven state.

"Ethan, help me." Alira was clutching her side. Her jacket was off and she was bleeding profusely. To Ketra's relief, she was only scratched. She was close to passing out. She had to get to a hospital. Ketra needed to get here there fast. Barricade had much more horsepower.

"John, Load her in my car. My ride's faster." John complied and loaded her up. Ketra got in and sped off to the Hospital. They made it just in time. She was in a lot of pain, but was almost unconscious.

"Don't worry." Ketra said to her. He didn't think she could hear him. He picked her up and walked her into the Hospital. As soon as he got in, he had to ensure she would get treatment. _What did I do last time?_ Ketra thought. He quickly shouted, "Emergency. I've got a bear victim!" The doctors came and rushed her to surgery. Ketra oversaw her treatment. She appeared to be okay, but they had to get out of Nome. After hours in surgery, she came out with bandages on her side. They weren't visible beneath her tank top, but the strap was.

"Are you okay?" Ketra asked.

"I'm fine. It's just a scratch." Alira said. Her phone rang. She set it to Speaker.

"Alira here."

"Alira, it's Ledra. I've got some good news." Ketra heard everything.

"Ketra here. What's going on?"

"Hey, Ethan. Well, of the 62 Poleepkwa that escaped from MNU, only 2 died. 9 of them received minor injuries." Ledra answered. Ketra was happy to some extent. Alira was almost ecstatic.

"That's great. Give me your location." Alira said. Still connected, Ledra's location was shown on her navigational system in the phone. "Got it. We can be there in ten minutes." Suddenly, Ketra got the sense that somebody was listening in. He caught a scent that he had smelled before. Whatever it was, it reeked of fresh energon. Megatron had mentioned once that the sun of a planet called Calastan had been successfully harvested. Ketra dismissed it as Barricade just venting excess energon gas. Only lycans could detect it as they've been around it for so long. He was blissfully unaware of a Decepticon lurking in the shadows. He and Alira walked out and got into Ketra's "Mustang". They took a few minutes before heading off.

They were indeed being watched. The Decepticon in question had a very Lupine appearance. He hovered in the air and alerted Megatron that Ketra had been found. "Megatron, this is Cyclonus. I've found them. I'm beginning pursuit." Cyclonus spoke with a thick Russian accent. With that, Cyclonus quickly transformed into his altmode. He became an SU-47 Berkut fighter. Under his left wing were the bold white letters MNU. His right wing had no markings except the Decepticon emblem. He tried to stay as slow as he could. He didn't want to be detected. In the cockpit was Lucian, with no armor. Only his brown trench coat, clawed up shirt, and paramilitary camos were worn. _I have you now_. Lucian thought.

In ten minutes, Ketra and Alira met with Ledra to treat the surviving Poleepkwa who had injuries. Cyclonus stealthily descended behind the forest growth. Lucien got out before Cyclonus transformed. The treatments went smoothly enough. A few cracked plates and cuts in the skin beneath, and the occasional broken leg. Ratchet was hooked up to a trailer loaded with clothing tailored for Poleepkwa. After the treatments, the Poleepkwa were given warm clothing to keep them alive in the harsh Alaskan winter.

"That's the last of them." Alira said. In the sky above them, the Aurora Borealis shone in the night. "Alira, look. It's the Aurora." Ethan said. Alira quickly looked up. She watched it wave and flicker.

"It's beautiful." She said. Ketra's hand moved tentatively close to Alira's. Alira returned the Favor. Their hands were interlocked. They looked down at each other and took their hands apart from one another. Ketra decided to take Barricade and go somewhere more private. Alira was left behind. They drove through the woods until such a spot was found. Ketra exited Barricade and leaned against him.

"Just admit that you love her." Barricade said.

"I can't do it so soon. I have to wait for the right time." Ketra replied.

"You were holding hands. Isn't that a sign of this love thing in you organics?"

"I can't believe I'm taking love advice from a Decepticon. Let's head back." Ketra answered.

Suddenly, He heard a scream in the distance. It was Alira. A howl accompanied it. Ketra ran as Barricade followed him in vehicle mode. Alira was being held down by Cyclonus. Ledra was busy against Lucian.

"Ethan, Help." Alira shouted. Lucien knocked Ledra to the ground and proceeded to finally get his teeth on Alira. Ethan wanted be anywhere but here. He quickly turned. His legs shifting to a lupine form, fur covered his body, face stretched out, ears changed shape and position, and claws burst forth from his fingertips. Alira saw it all. Ethan leapt after Lucian and wrestled him to the ground. Lucian pushed him back up and got on his feet again. Ethan slashed Lucian in the face. His blood dripped onto the ground. Cyclonus couldn't step in, he only fought after he learned his opponents technique. As Lucian wiped off the blood, Ketra leapt toward him with his mouth wide open. Lucian dodged and Ethan quickly sank his teeth into Aliras shoulder. His hands grabbed her as Cyclonus released her. Ethan regained his composure and let her go, releasing his teeth and returning to human form. It's been 50 years since he last tasted human blood. Alira was in pain. She saw the Lycan clad in Ethan's clothing with its coat and shirt drenched in blood… her blood. She had a genuine look of shock on her face. Her blood drenched her shirt. "No…" she said softly.

"Alira, it's not what it looks like." Ethan said frantically, her blood still

staining his teeth and dripping from his mouth. He quickly wiped it up. As a gesture of submission among lycans, he hung his head in shame.

"How is it not what it looks like? I watched you turn. Sure, you showed Lucian he wasn't as good as he thought, but you… bit me. Is there anything else you're hiding?" Almost on cue, Barricade quickly transformed into his robot form and stood before Alira.

"Yes. Me." he said. Alira couldn't take it anymore.

Ratchet transformed to robot mode. "Barricade? I thought you died." Alira stepped in.

"I thought I could trust you, Ethan. I guess I was wrong." Alira clutched the bite wound. Ethan moved closer. Alira backed away quickly. "Don't come any closer! You've done enough damage!"

"Alira, listen" said Ethan "I didn't plan for any of this. I just wanted to defect to NEST and Barricade wanted to come and leave the Decepticons behind."

"A likely story. It seems more reasonable to assume that this Lycan wanted to defect to infiltrate NEST and assassinate our chain of command." Ratchet pointed out. Alira grew increasingly hurt. The pain was unbearable. John got off the ground and tended to Alira's wound. He managed to stop the bleeding, but the venom from Ethan's bite was already coursing through her system. John bandaged the wound and let Alira back to her feet.

"We really need to get back to the airbase. If we leave now, it'll be morning there when we arrive." John said.

"What about Ketra and Barricade? We can't leave them here." said Ratchet. He knew the strategic value of having Lucians best soldier as a prisoner and keeping Barricade under lock and key. John had answers to almost all of Ratchet's questions.

"We'll take them with us. Barricade will face the judgment of Optimus Prime." Alira jumped back in.

"What about Ketra. Who will decide his fate?" she asked.

Ratchet had the answer. "Selene will determine his intentions. If he is telling the truth, he can stay. Otherwise, Corvin will put him down like the dog we see him to be."

Ketra cooperated and Barricade took him back to the municipal airfield where they would leave for the NEST base. Barricade and Ratchet transformed into their alternate modes and got into the plane. Ledra walked up to the cockpit. Ketra and Alira boarded next. The bite wound was acting up again. Ethan handed her a flask. "Drink this. It helps with the pain." Alira took the flask and took a sip. Almost instantly, the pain went away.

"Thanks. What is this?" she said. Her voice was still soft from weakness and the emotional pain.

"Wolfsbane tea. My mother used to make it for me when I was sick." Ethan explained. Once everyone was loaded up, the cargo jet took off for the airbase. Alira knew all too well that she had seen the last of her humanity. This was only the first full moon of the month. She would turn tomorrow night. She couldn't help but think Lucian did this intentionally to ensure that NEST would be destroyed from within by a lycan with no control. Alira was scared. She started to cry. She took another sip of Ethan's tea. "At this rate, I'll lose it all."

"Don't worry. Selene grows the stuff. She actually has way too much of it. Thinks it keeps the Lycans away, but I don't believe it." Alira said. Alira chuckled a little. She was still weak from the blood loss. The plane was nearing the NEST airbase and was beginning its descent.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Animal She Has Become

The cargo aircraft made its final approach toward the Airbase. Ledra lowered the gear and extended the flaps on his jet. Breakaway walked off the runway to make room for the massive cargo jet. It touched down, creating a bump for his passengers. The engines opened up and switched to reverse thrust. As the jet came to a halt, the cargo ramp opened up. Ratchet and Barricade drove out and transformed. Ethan helped Alira back onto her feet and took her outside. Ledra was absolutely right. It was morning. Alira walked out of the plane onto the tarmac. Ethan followed her closely. Ledra was the next one outside. On the airbase, he had nothing to hide. He took off his body armor just wearing his IDF uniform. He unzipped special zippers on the back of his shirt to allow his wings to grow. His face lengthened into a lupine muzzle and his ears changed shape and position and his skin turned grey as grey fur covered his body. Claws burst from his fingertips and he grew a three-foot wolven tail. "It's good to be me." He said to himself.

Ethan looked around for Selene or Michael. He saw Selene walking out of one of the hangars. Never straying far from tradition, she was wearing her Death Dealer garb. Alira saw Selene and ran for her. Selene gave Alira a small hug and let her go. Ever since her parents death during the Decepticon incursion at Johannesburg, Selene was like a mother figure to her. Selene took her in and kept her safe. She noticed the bandages.

"What happened here, Lifesign?" Selene examined the bandages and removed some of them to see the wound. Once she saw what was clearly a lycans bite, she cursed softly and then aloud. Ethan walked up.

"Is that a nickname?" Ethan asked.

Selene developed a special sense that helped her sort out the humans from the immortals. She could tell Ethan was one of them. He had the aura of a lycan. Selene ran to him and held him up against the cargo jet by the collar of his shirt. "You have a lot of nerve coming here. Is Barricade with you? Did you stow away? Did Lucian send you?"

Ethan was scared. A vampire was not only in the sunlight, but keeping him in the air with no effort. "In that order. Yes, no, and no."

"What about Alira? Is that not your bite?"

"Lucian… in front of her… jumped after… he dodged and Alira…"

"Selene, Put him down!" Ledra shouted. His voice was lower and gruffer. He walked up to Selene and she released Ethan. "You could always take a blood sample. Even lycans have blood memory."

Ethan caught his breath and stood back up. "At risk of being choked again, I need to take Barricade to face judgment. Good day to you." He walked off toward Barricade and looked for the Autobots' hangar. Fortunately, he didn't have to look for long. Optimus Prime came out of the hangar. Barricade knelt before him.

"Noble Optimus Prime" said Barricade, "I have come of my own free will and with all my spark seek to defect. I submit myself to your judgement."

Optimus stood unfazed. Not showing any emotion. "I must convene with the others before you may join us. Until then, remain out here." With that out of the way, Optimus walked away. Barricade transformed and put himself on park. Ethan, however was going to get ready for what he knew would be one messed up blood test. He went over to Alira, who took Ethan to her bunk. She took out a rubber tie on for Ethan and a syringe. Even back when he was human, Ethan hated heving blood drawn, for whatever reason. Alira tied the rubber around Ethan's bicep.

"This will sting a little." She said with a smile. A little voice in her head said _payback_. Ethan tried to remain calm, otherwise it would just hurt more, but Ethan really hated needles. Alira drove the syringe into Ethan's arm. His canine teeth became long fangs and he let out a terrifying, painful roar that the whole airbase heard. Even Optimus heard it in the other hangar.

"What in the Allspark's name was that?" he asked.

"Ethan's getting blood drawn for Selene." Ratchet answered.

"He must really hate needles." Sideswipe commented.

In the medical station, Alira took the sample and gave it to Michael, who now had a splitting headache. "Take these to Selene." She said. Michael nodded and left the medical station. She looked over at ethan and gave him a bandaid for the injection site. "I'm sorry." She said. "Did I hurt you?"

"Yes! That was worse than when I got turned! Is this your idea of payback for turning you?"

"No, you just have issues with needles." She said with a laugh. Ethan was silent. "Don't worry, Selene will welcome you," Alira said. She then let out a sigh. "but how can I keep my own lycanthropy a secret." She was sadder now, a single tear rolled down her face, followed by three more. Ethan had a genuine concern. Raze and Lucien taught him a few things. Even techniques to influence his form to be more or less lupine, but he wasn't sure he could teach Alira. Out of his own personal guilt, however, he had to try.

"Alira," Ethan said. Alira turned to face the young Lycan. "I can be with you tonight."

"But, what if I go crazy? What if I hurt someone?" she asked, the tears now coming in full force. Ethan got up and wrapped his arms around Alira. She quickly returned the favor, her arms wrapped around Ethans waist.

"I promise I will not even let you near a human." Ethan looked into her eyes, and Alira stared into his. His eyes shifted to a lupine yellow as a result of the excitement he was feeling. Alira started to feel better and she was no longer crying. Her face drew closer to Ethans. Just as they were about to kiss, Michael walked back in and they released each other.

"Ethan, Selene wants to see you." He said.

"Did she say why?" Ethan asked.

"She said something about an assessment of your will to defect."

Ethan looked towards Alira again. "You should go," She said.

Not seeing a choice, Ethan followed Michael to meet with Selene. _This is not good_. The walk to what he would later call Selene's "office" was long and took him past at least three hangars. At the fourth hangar, they walked inside and found a room similar to where Kahn used to work as the covens weapon master. She stood there with John working on one of the new weapons they received. It looked like a pistol version of the Arc Gun. Selene saw Ethan standing there with Michael. Selene motioned for Ethan to get closer. He walked into the office and Selene motioned for Ledra to leave. Ethan looked at the clock on her desk. 6:00 pm. It was already getting dark. He had to finish this and find Alira.

"Selene, you wanted to see me?" Ethan said.

"No lycan has ever defected before, much less been allowed to. Why should I let you live to fight with us?"

"Lucian is a madman with nothing redeeming about him. I was raised by wolves after he attacked me and killed my parents." Ethan traced the line of his scar. "This was the only thing he ever gave me save for Lycanthropy. I hate that monster with all my heart. He hurt me and I want to make him pay." Ethan said. Selene nodded.

"Tell me what happened." Selene said. Ethan began his life story how he was born, how he survived the Salem Witch Trials and how he came to be recruited against his will by the monster that took his parents and his humanity.

"First things first," Selene began "you need some new equipment. Your old bullet-proof vest won't stand up to the cybertronian weapons technology that the lycans possess."

"And you know this how?"

Selene cleared out her throat and then began to speak. "We found that out the hard way at our manor house. Your best option is a new set of armor." She reached into a chest and pulled out a black plastic chest piece similar to the MNU scorpion class vest. "The black comes from a near impenetrable layer of ablative Obsidian-silver coating. It's safe for a Lycan to handle." Ethan put in on over his trench coat. It had the NEST emblem on the upper right side of the chest.

"Does this mean…" Ethan said before Selene cut him off.

"Yes. Welcome to Networked Elements: Supporters and Transformers."

"Thank you. I'm going to go check on Alira." Ethan left the hangar and made a mad dash for the hangar Alira was in. Faster he ran until he made it. It was 5 minutes before moonrise. She sat there waiting. "It's almost time." Ethan noticed some unusual weapons next to her. A crossbow with a disc atop it, a handgun with a bolo loaded and a large net launcher. All of it was designed for one purpose: Live capture. "Michael sent those, didn't he?"

Alira nodded. 2 minutes left. "If I break out, Use them to bring me back. The crossbow system is from Viktors time, so it's a last resort." 1 minute left. The moon was on the sky. Alira had a pain shoot through her. She dropped to all fours. Claws burst from her fingertips and were digging through the ground. Her legs shifted to a more lupine form. Fur covered her arms and her eyes shifted to a lupine yellow similar to that of most other lycans. Her screams grew more animalistic and far less human. Sounding more like snarls and growls. Her teeth grew sharper as her face elongated forming a lupine muzzle. Her ears changed shape and position and all but her underclothes were torn away as the fur covered the rest of her body. Her transformation was complete. Ethan grabbed the weapons just in case. Alira stood motionless.

"Alira? Can you hear me?" Ethan asked. He moved closer to the new lycan. cautious as not to alarm her. "It's me. It's Ethan." Alira quirked her wolven head threw it back, letting out a long howl. Afterward, she ran off out onto the airstrip in a snarling rage. "oh f**** me." In his right hand he took the bolo gun and ran after her, his trench coat flowing in the draft. He had little trouble keeping up. Speed and agility were his specialties. Alira ran after a soldier head on. He raised his gun, an M16 loaded with silver nitrate rounds. Before he could even get off a shot, Alira pounced on him and tore him apart. While she was preoccupied, Ethan steadied the bolo gun and aimed for her legs. He pulled the trigger and the bolo game out and wrapped around her legs. She fell to the ground covered in human blood. She turned around and saw ethan with the weapon in his hands. She let out a snarl and her claws cut through the bolo's rope with ease, setting the wolf free. She ran again, this time after sergeant Epps. Ethan was in pursuit with the net launcher. Alira came close to the sergeant before Ethan caught her in the net. He ran to Alira to try and make her see reason and give rise to her human mind over the wolf. "Alira, if you can hear me, I want you to focus on who you are." Alira broke fre of the net and just stood there, motionless. "You have to remember! You're not an animal!"

These words seemed to strike a chord in Alira. The wolf in her mind was no longer in control and at this rate it never would be again. She suddenly came to her senses and just broke down whimpering. What had she done? Ethan moved closer and petted the lycan on the head. "It's okay Alira. I'm here" Ethan said comfortingly. He helped the lycan to her feet. He didn't think much of it, but this lycan in her underclothes was very beautiful. He took her back to the hangar. Unknow to them, John was flying with his back to the moon. He swooped down and landed near the dead soldier.

"Riposi nella pace, il mio amico caduto, dato che non avete bisogno di combattimento. Conoscerete la pace." He closed the eyes of the soldier and laid his head down on the gorund. Tonight would be the first of many in the Hybrids mind. He flapped his mighty wings and took off once more on the flights he took to clear his mind. Not that his past haunted, but that he knew so little. He also knew little about Ethan, especially whether or not he could be trusted.

* * *

**holy crap, John speaks italian. Spinnoff, Spinoff Spinoff. I sense a Spinoff.  
**


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Training for the Pup

Dawn broke in the sky above the airbase. Ledra was sitting in the Autobots hangar, contemplating what he saw on his moonlit flight. "Was that soldier really the last she would kill?" He said to himself. It wasn't like the Autobots were listening. They never listened to him when he talked to himself, but you couldn't blame them. His survival was due to his lack of trust in most people. It took him a full week before he could trust the Autobots or other NEST personnel. It's just not how he was built. He got up and left the hangar looking for Alira and to see if she remembered what she did. He walked over to the Hangar where he caught Alira's scent. He peeked inside and saw Alira sitting and talking. She was fully dressed in her usual clothing that consisted of those striped pants and the Search and Rescue jacket that was made for her. Ethan was talking while repainting Barricade with Autobot markings over his previous emblems.

"Alira, do you remember anything from last night?" Ethan asked. "I know you got yourself together in the end, but do you remember anything before that?" he continued with the paint gun, Wheelie was there and worked on replacing the phrase 'to punish and enslave' with 'sworn to protect'

"I never thought I'd see the day. Barricade was pretty high in the ranks." said the tiny defector with a strong Brooklyn accent.

"Stow it, wheelie!" Alira Shouted. Out of all the Cybertronians she knew and lived with, she hated Wheelie the most. "I remember the pain. It was absolutely brutal and no human words could describe it. I remember a flood of instincts and blood of a human."

"I had a similar experience. The trick is that when you turn, you must focus on who you really are. This keeps your mind human while your body changes." Wheelie finished painting over the phrase in black on both rear fenders.

"Done back here. Hows about handin' over the stencils?" Ethan had only been with NEST for two days, but he already hated Wheelie. He handed over the stencils and finished changing the insignias.

"Just a few more seconds and you're ready to go." Ethan said. Wheelie finished up and the paint gun stopped. He tried again, and the pressure sent him across the room when it was released.

Alira got up and walked over to Ethan. Ethan picked up the paint gun and finished the job that had sent the little monster truck across the room. Finished. "Ethan, how long did it take you to learn to control yourself?" she asked.

"It took me two days, but that's because I had Raze teach me the basics." Ethan knew it would take longer for Alira, seeing as how she was still living among those who can't teach her the ways to stay in control. "After a while, it becomes subconscious." Wheelie got back up and transformed into a little blue monster truck and drove off. "Thankfully, you can do this with daily meditation and it doesn't require a transformation." Ethan heard the sound of Wheelie's bumper hitting something. Ethan turned around and saw a bat-like wing jutting from the corner. "Stealth isn't your strong suit, John."

John retracted his wings into his body and walked in. he looked like a smaller first-generation lycan with a tail. "It was easier in the fifteenth century."

"You worked in Italy as a death dealer, right?" Alira asked.

"Sort of. My job back then required stealth. Quite a contrast to working with NEST." John scoffed a bit. "We need to get her trained. I don't want to watch any more soldiers die tonight."

"I can teach her what I know." Ethan answered. He quickly looked at the mustang with its new coat of paint. "Alright, Barricade. Paint's dry. You can transform now." Barricade quickly transformed and stood up. He looked at the panels with the new motto. "I had Ratchet modify your weapons with galvanized silver."

"Time to kick some ass." Barricade said.

The hybrid approached the Mustang. "Not so fast. First we need orders from Lennox before you can 'kick ass'." John was firm in this. He follows orders to the letter.

Ethan walked over to Alira and sat across from her. "Just relax and close your eyes. Focus on who you are as a human and on your past."

Alira closed her eyes. Her mind entering a world all it's own. She saw her childhood, how she met Selene and Michael and how her parents died at Cyclonus's hand in Johannesburg.

"Ethan, I saw my past. Will that help?" Alira asked softly. Ethan took her hand and helped her to her feet.

"It'll be all you need tonight. While you were zoned out we just got called into the briefing room. Optimus is supposed to give us the info on our mission" he said. "Let's go. Ledra's already there." They ran to the briefing room. It was still pretty early. When they arrived, they saw many NEST soldiers, soldiers from the newly founded Poleepkwa collective, and what looked like a human-poleepkwa halfbreed dressed in combat pants and boots with nothing else. Alira recognized the halfbreed as her cousin Hunter. The same halfbreed that fought Ethan in the eighth district of Mission City. Everyone was seated as Optimus readied the briefing.

"We have an important task ahead of us. Wolfen Aerospace UAVs have detected telltale energy signatures in a remote part of Transylvania. Reports and photos show that First-generation Lycans are in the area. As such, the Poleepkwa collective has given us use of their soldiers. These units will carry the Poleepkwa State arms flamethrower to cleanse any bodies left by First-Generation Lycans and serving as anti personnel units. Lucian has also been seen in the area along with a dangerous new Decepticon." The screen behind him showed an SU-47 with MNU markings. Ethan stood up from his seat.

"That's Cyclonus!" he shouted. "He was in Nome when Alira and I were trying to save the Poleepkwa refugees."

"Who is this?" Optimus asked. Alira stood up to address the large truck.

"This is Ethan Ketra. He's a defector from Lucians army. He saved my life in Nome when Cyclonus and Lucian attacked." Alira said in Ethan's defense.

Optimus was intrigued. This was the first time anyone defended a lycan. "If that is so, he may join us. We have to move out for Transylvania ASAP. All forces, load up." Optimus ordered. The soldiers all stood up, saluted Optimus, and left for the cargo jets.

Alira ran over to Hunter, who was preparing to enter a very lupine mech, painted in white with blue lines. The colors of the Israeli flag. He stepped inside and everything locked into place except the panels covering his face. Alira approached him before they closed.

"Hunter? What happened to you?" she asked upon seein the plating and other poleepkwa traits.

Hunter moved the arms of the mech to be sure they were working. He moved the hands and even the long bladed tail to make sure the cold air didn't leave the joints iced up. Everything checked out.

"Short story, MNU. They screwed with my genetics and made me a halfbreed. I would have gone fully over if not for my werewolf genetics." Hunter explained.

The panels around his face closed and the mech walked into one of the cargo aircraft that looked like it could reach supersonic speeds. Alira followed the mech until Ethan caught up with her. His black MNU armor was fitted with a detachable parachute for when the aircraft made it to Transylvania.

"who's the halfbreed?" Ethan asked.

"My cousin. Hunter Fairway. We're the only survivors of our bloodline." Alira shed a small tear.

"Listen, I need you to stay focused on who you are. When we arrive in Transylvania, it will be a full moon. Focus." Ethan said. John walked inside the aircraft and up to the cockpit. His seat was specially designed to allow his wings to be out and still let him fly the aircraft. He sat in and strapped up. Michael sat next to him as the co-pilot. Michael started up the engines. The aircraft taxied out onto the runway and found itself next to a second aircraft of the same model. Both were very streamlined and had large delta wings near the back and two powerful Wolfen Aerospace Scimitar hybrid scramjet afterburning turbofans. The cockpit was streamlined to reduce drag. Michael got in on the intercom.

"All personnel secure your gear and weapons. Also, you might want to hold on to something 'cause these scimitar engines have a lot of kick." He warned. The first aircraft throttled up and great flames spewed out of the engines and the aircraft gained in speed.

That aircraft had autobot markings, so the autobots were clearly onboard. The "troop ship" was next up. Alira closed her eyes and the aircraft sped off for Transylvania.

When they crossed into European airspace, Alira began to turn. Her face elongated into a lupine muzzle while her ears changing shape and position. Her clean fingernails sharpened into wicked black claws. Her legs shifted to a more lupine configuration. Her clothes remained intact this time. Fur covered her body and her transformation was finished. Ethan looked on her. He never thought much of it, but her lycan form was just as beautiful as her human form.

Michael came in over the intercom. "We have slowed to subsonic speeds and dropped to an altitude of 10,000 feet. All units prepare for combat drop." John left his seat and ran to the cargo bay. The ramp opened up and he ran right out with his wings folded in against his back.

Selene underwent a bizarre transformation. Great leathery wings grew from her back, while her fingernails sharpened into wicked claws. Her face and ears took on a bat-like look whil her skin turned grey. She was a vampire-dominant hybrid. She folded her new wings against her body and jumped out the plane.

Hunter took his mech and leapt it out of the aircraft. Ethan fitted Alira with a parachute. All of the soldiers leapt out and landed with their parachutes. All of the parachutes were discarded and then burned by the Poleepkwa soldiers' flamethrowers. The cargo aircraft were at a nearby municipal airfield. The force of vampires, humans, and poleepkwa were all in the right place. There were bloodied bodies all over the place.

Hunter stood watch in the 12 foot lupine mech. The holographic scanners showed that none of the bodies had vital signs, but from first hand experience that first-gen lycans were infectious enough to turn the bodies of the dead. He pointed toward the village. "Burn this place to the ground. MNU remnant forces can take the blame." He said. The poleepkwa fanned out, torching everything in sight with green flames. _Funny_, Hunter thought, _It sickened me when MNU did this, but now it's our last line of defense against first-gen shock troops._

Hunter never liked any of MNU's practices, especially when NEST was forced to adopt them. But this was a special case. The village was torched and the green flames definitely attracted the attention of something. In the distance. It was an SU-47 in MNU markings. Cyclonus was here. He descended on the charred remains of the village and transformed.

Hunter dashed backwards and pointed the arm of his mech to the large decepticon. "Open fire!" He shouted. Lennox took out a concussion grenade and hurled it at Cyclonus.

It detonated and knocked Cyclons to the ground. The Decepticon raised his arm to signal the lycans to charge. Hunter made a dash toward Cyclonus and, seeing the time to strike, shoved the blade of the mechs tail straight into the decepticons back.

Cyclonus let out a shrill tone, signaling drone aircraft and starscream. The Raptors energy signature registered for Hunter's holo-visor inside the mech. He opened a comm. channel to Ethan and Breakaway. "Ketra, Breakaway! Starscream's in the area. I need you two to take him out."

Ethan stood with Alira. Breakaway got the message and transformed. Ethan jumped into the cockpit and tossed Alira a black Vektor CR21 similar to what was in use by MNU. "It's loaded with silver nitrate rounds. Be careful." Breakaway switched to hover mode and took off after Strascream. As the F-35 got closer to the F/A-22, Ethan turned to his Lycan form and jumped out onto the raptor. He dug his claws deep into the fuselage. Right next to him on the underbelly, he found

He freed one arm and tore out a large panel of metal. A brilliant blue light revealed the spark chamber. Attatched to his vest was a small energy canister designed to overload the spark of a transformer. He shoved it into Starscreams spark. "Payback for Nome, Turkey" Ethan said. Breakaway was right beneath him. The lycan in the MNU vest jumped onto the back of the IAF-painted F-35 and held on for dear life. Blue light leaked out of cracks in starscreams body until it faded and the raptor dropped like a lead balloon.

Ethan jumped back into the cockpit. "Alright, Breakaway. Let's see how Hunter's doing." Ethan took manual control. Cyclonus had the Lupine mech on the ground. He let loose with Breakaways machine guns and Cyclonus backed off. He leapt up and transformed into his SU-47 altmode. Ethan wanted nothing to do with this. He found Raze alone on the battlefield and leapt out of the F-35 to deal with him. He landed flawlessly out took out his MP7s. "Raze."

"Ethan", Raze said, "What are you going to do?"

"I've decided that NEST is where I belong. Especially after Mission City." Ethan said.

Raze didn't look too surprised. "To be honest, I always thought you didn't belong with us, but this still really bugs me." Raze was irate by this time. "Something about this just stinks."

"I was a liability in Mission city. You don't need me."

"If NEST finds out what you are, they'll kill you!" Raze shouted. Ethan armed his MP-7s and took up arms against Raze.

"They know what I am. I will be the last face you see." Ethan transformed into his Lycan form and signaled for alira and barricade to be ready when he gave the signal. Alira got into barricades driver seat and held her head and left arm out holding the Vektor CR21.

Ethan jumped over Raze and let loose with his MP7s now modified with 50-round silver nitrate clips. Unfortunately, Raze was wearing a vest. Ethan holstered his guns and charged at Raze. His claws leaving a nasty mark on his face. Raze shed his vest and shirt and began to change to his own lycan form.

Ethan raised his arm with the weapon in hand. Barricade drove off toward Raze. Alira opened fire, the rounds reaching Raze and filling his blood with the lethal silver nitrate. He collapsed on the ground. Alira jumped out of Barricade and walked over to Raze. Ethan stood with his gun pointed at the lycans head. Ethan shifted back to human form.

"I told you. My face would be the last you see." He pulled the trigger and Razes head almost exploded. Alira quirked her wolven head to the left, a canine way to express confusion. "He's dead. And not a moment too soon." Ethan opened up a comm. channel to Breakawy by putting a finger to the earpiece attatched to the visors. "Breakaway, what's the story with Cyclonus?"

Ethan's comm. unit picked up a lot of sound from the engines. "I can't keep a bead on him. He's too agile" Breakaway said. Ethan looked to the sky and saw a portal opening through which all of the Decepticons retreated. It clearly came from Cyclonus. The MNU fighter broke the sound barrier going through and all surviving Decepticons found their own way back. Cyclonus had to be a Seeker. No other cybertronian can create a space bridge. He must have once served the fallen. None of that mattered now, though.

The mission had ended in success, but no one would admit that. Starscream fell by Ethan's hand. Everyone boarded their respective planes and they took off for the Airbase in New Jersey the next day, so Alira would not turn.

High above the earth, a dark presence lingers. Watching. Waiting. The Decepticon Soundwave had full view of the earth at his vantage point. Not that it was unknown to others. A plan has been in the works for a while to take him down. It would have to wait though. All in good time.


End file.
